‘“ ABOUT A BUSHEL.” A QUAIL STORY = 145 
“Yes, I do,’’ was his answer, ‘‘but not too much 
education. If individuals feel the need of a better 
education, they can always get it. The average 
Indian mind can hold reading, writing, and a little arith- 
metic. They rarely grasp grammar or spelling. I 
can’t spell worth a cent. Of course, a good manual 
training in some trade always is useful. But an Indian 
rarely practices any trade after leaving school.”’ 
The clouds were very black one night. The morning 
brought a wild storm, wind, rain, and hail. In the 
midst of it an Indian on horseback dashed up to the 
house and told G. Dan the mallards were flying on the 
Grand River. They often had fine duck shooting there 
for a few days each fall and spring when the flight was 
on. The storm was too severe that day but it let upa 
little at noon the day after and G. Dan and I drove over. 
There were a lot of ducks on the river, mostly mallards. 
We shot in different stands, G. Dan and his spaniel on 
a point projecting into the river where the ducks flying 
up or down the stream always came near and sometimes 
crossed. The spaniel would retrieve the ducks that 
fell in the water. 
My stand was in a narrow bay where there was little 
or no current to carry away the fallen birds as I had no 
retriever. Attracted by the rapid shooting, a very old 
Indian came along the bank of the river, carrying 
an ancient cap-and-ramrod musket and sat down 
behind some bushes to watch me shoot. He sat so 
still and was so well hidden that I never would have 
noticed him if I had not seen him when he first came. 
Most Indians will not shoot at flying ducks. They 
only shoot when they have a chance to pot them 
sitting. 
Finally he walked over and sat down a little back of 
